


A love that blooms like sunflowers

by lunarblossoms



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:21:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29436726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunarblossoms/pseuds/lunarblossoms
Summary: EmetWol Valentine's Week Day 1 : Love LetterHe may have been prying, he knows, but Hades can't say he feels too bad about it. Not when he's able to tell Persy how he feels on the day the sunflowers bloomed.
Relationships: Azem/Emet-Selch (Final Fantasy XIV)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	A love that blooms like sunflowers

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote about my Azem during last EmetWol week but just a reminder, his name is Persephone, or Persy for short. This is a part of my Azem's lore with Hades that I've been imagining for a very long time so I'm pleased I was finally able to write it.
> 
> The original title for this was "You are the cause of my Euphoria" because I've been nonstop listening to BTS lately but... I was too embarrassed so... Anyway please enjoy~

Hades hadn't known what to expect when Hythlodaeus had insisted that he take a look in Persy's journal if he ever got the chance. Information about all his flowers, sure, but that's obvious considering Persy is always jotting down notes about the new "children" he creates, and Hades has oftentimes caught Persy sketching out designs for new blossoms on blank pages. He would have to be a fool not to take that as a given.

But for Hythlodaeus to urge him to look… No, there has to be something else. There has to be a reason his friend had been so persistent on the matter, enough to finally convince Hades to give in to the curiosity. And whatever that reason is, it clings to him like a thick morning fog and it's precisely why Hades now finds himself in Persy's chambers on this particular evening. He knows Persy is preoccupied, off teaching Gaia and Artemis about his garden, so there's no way he'll be unceremoniously interrupted. Perhaps it's a bit selfish, and even more so intrusive for him to be looking at Persy's private writings without express permission, but he can't help it.

Persy will just have to forgive him for prying this time.

It takes him a bit of searching, around tables and next to large plants without names- likely experimental flowers that Persy hasn't finished- at the head of Persy's bed, and on Persy's desk, but he at last he finds the small notebook in one of the desk drawers, partially hidden beneath some stray sheets of paper. The texture of the cover is soft and smooth under Hades's fingertips as he pulls it out and places it on the desk, slowly and carefully flipping it open with bated breath.

As he had expected, the book is filled with page after page of information on different flower types. Carnations, hydrangeas, roses, hyacinths, peonies… Each one has a small sketch next to it to indicate its design, as well as notes on blooming seasons and environments. He skims the pages, thumbing through them almost absentmindedly, until something catches his eye.

It's his name. In between lilies of the valley and tulips, he spots it. In somewhat curly writing, quite unlike the rest of Persy's note taking, and surrounding it… Little hearts. Hades swallows and feels his heartbeat increasing, pattering under his ribs like raindrops against glass windows. This isn't it, right? Surely something so small, a mere "Hades" with little red hearts decorating it… That can't be all Hythlodaeus wanted him to see. After all, Hades would argue that something this small is rather ambiguous. Yes, it may make him feel a little warm and set off a light fluttering in his chest, but there's no clear meaning to it, or why Persy would have scribbled something so inconsequential in his journal.

He just has to keep looking. That can't be all.

Chrysanthemums, daisies, cherry blossoms, irises, dahlias, cosmos… Hades has to wonder how Persy can come up with so many different types of flowers, especially because each of them is unique and special in their own way. It's no wonder Persy always calls them his children, Hades thinks, smiling a little. He's put so much time and effort into helping them grow, nurturing them and caring for them with all the love of a parent, so that each individual flower becomes as lovely as he envisions it. And of course, the flowers do; how could they not, when such a kind soul watches over them? A soul more beautiful than the flowers themselves, shining so brilliantly like the sun down upon his children- and perhaps shining on Hades, as well. Maybe that's why Hades always feels so warm beside Persy, as if he's soaking in pure sunlight, basking in Persy's rays.

As he nears the end of the book, he grows a little confused. He has yet to find whatever it is that Hythlodaeus is so certain he needs to see and there isn't much left for him to look at. Petunias, lilacs, delphiniums, zinnias… The journal isn't completely filled yet and Hades fans through the blank pages at the back until he hits the very last page and-

Oh.

_ Oh. _

This is what Hythlodaeus meant.

The last page is not blank, like the rest of the pages at the back of the journal, and upon it is scrawled what Hades can only describe as… a love letter. A poem, in soft, delicate words, clearly full of an unfathomable fondness… 

And it's addressed to him. 

To Hades.

Incontrovertible truth this time, with no room for doubt.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Hades feels as though his heart will beat its way out of the confines of his chest, each pulse almost painful as his eyes follow the curve of every letter, as if he had watched Persy write them himself. He's far too embarrassed to read the poem in its entirety out loud but the last phrase slips from his mouth unbidden, pulled from him by an unseen force to hang almost tangibly in the air around him.

"More than all the flowers in the world " he reads, his breath catching somewhere between his throat and his lungs. "I love you, Hades."

Abruptly, completely on reflex, Hades drops the journal closed and claps his hands to his face, desperately trying to hide the heat that now pools in his cheeks, in the bridge of his nose and the tips of his ears. He's positive that his entire face must be bright red at this point and even when he closes his eyes, the words still linger beneath his eyelids, impossible to ignore.

_ "I love you, Hades." _

Of all the ways to find out that his feelings are returned… To find out that the love is mutual.

It's almost too much for him.

He's torn between owing Hythlodaeus big time for presenting him with this opportunity, and beating his insufferable friend senseless because he must have known all this time, and undoubtedly found it humorous to put Hades in this situation- otherwise he simply would have told Hades outright what Persy wrote. No, Hythlodaeus wanted Hades to squirm. He knew what reading the poem himself would do to Hades and he wouldn't pass that up for anything, even if he couldn't be there to witness Hades's reaction in person.

As brazen as ever. Hades owes him a 'thank you' at the very least, he concedes.

With this confirmation… Can Hades finally take action? This feeling that has been blooming in his chest for as long as he can remember, for as long as he's known Persy, but never had the courage to say out loud… Can he finally set it free? 

… Perhaps. There's warmth bubbling up under his ribs, strong and vibrant, wrapping his heart up in a gentle wave of determination, as if the flowers that have long since rooted themselves there have finally made their way up to his mouth and desire to be known, to be shared.

After all, isn't it only natural? If Persy feels the same, then Hades has nothing holding him back. He can speak his mind and his heart freely.

Carefully, Hades takes a deep breath and then replaces the journal exactly as he had found it, and then he closes the desk drawer and quietly leaves Persy's chambers behind.

Soon, he thinks. Soon, Persy will have no reason to doubt the way Hades feels about him.

\---

Persy gazes proudly at the potted plant in his arms, golden petals glowing up at him like a small sun that sits in the palms of his hands. Sunflowers, he had decided to call them- an apt name considering their appearance, the way they always seem to face the sun, and provide support to the flora around them- and he's more than just a little pleased at how perfect they turned out. The blooms are warm and vibrant, thin petals surrounding a darker center, and he won't deny that simply viewing them puts a smile on his face.

The concept had popped into his head the other day and he knew he couldn't rest until he brought forth the idea into reality, until he could incorporate the image of the sun into a new design. A symbol of adoration and loyalty, growing as strong and as tall as the love that blooms in Persy's heart… Yes, perhaps he had thought of Hades when he decided to create this particular flower, but he might also argue that there are few flowers in his garden that weren't influenced by Hades in some way.

As such, it comes as no surprise that Persy was once again able to create something so beautiful; after all, he always has the most breathtaking inspiration to draw upon.

Speaking of whom, when Persy hears the light tap of footsteps along the tiled floor of his greenhouse, he knows- before he even lays eyes on the person- who his visitor is, a smile instantly lighting up his face as he hurriedly weaves through his shelves of colorful plants. He would recognize this presence no matter the circumstances, without fail; he would have to be a fool otherwise. "Hades," he breathes out, his heart fluttering in his chest when he reaches his guest at the entrance, familiar golden eyes meeting his and sparking a wave of joyful warmth to swim through Persy's blood.

Hades raises an eyebrow at him, and then a hand in a gesture of greeting, his gaze quickly dropping to the flower in Persy's hands. "It seems you've been busy once again," Hades responds, and there's a fondness in both his tone and in the way he speaks which has Persy almost bashfully holding out his new creation for Hades to see.

"Indeed. Sunflowers," he explains with a bright grin. "I've been working on them for several days to get the concept right and I'm so glad you're the first to see them."

"Am I?" There's a twinkle in Hades's eyes. "I'm honored, then."

"But of course! You showed up at the most opportune of moments, in fact." He beckons for Hades to follow him, which the other does as Persy leads him back through his greenhouse to the spot where Persy had planted the first seeds. He gestures with pride to the spot, the dark soil glistening under the greenhouse lights. "The single blossom here is but a preview of this breed. The actual thing will grow to be much larger and taller, and the flowers will bloom in groups rather than individually." As he talks, he moves to the closest shelf and shifts around some of the other pots to make room for his sunflower, tenderly setting it down so as not to jostle it. "I might experiment with the colors as well, at a later point. Do you think orange might look nice? Or perhaps pink? Variety would certainly be nice. I always think the more colors, the better. After all, what looks nicer than a field of vibrant flowers of all colors?"

"Persy," Hades abruptly says, and Persy snaps his mouth shut, suddenly acutely aware that he's been rambling, a bad habit of his wherever his children are concerned. However, the rebuke that Persy might have expected never comes.

Instead, Hades's voice is impossibly soft, as sweet as honey as he says, "I love you."

Wait- what? Persy freezes, every muscle in his body seizing up.

What did Hades just say?

He's unsure whether his heart is still beating or not, and he can't even find breath, the air stuck in his throat, not quite making it to his lungs. Had he heard correctly? Are his ears playing tricks on him? His hands are trembling like leaves as he slowly moves from the shelf and turns to face Hades.

But Hades is wearing the most tender look Persy has ever seen on his face, his golden eyes like crescent moons as he smiles warmly at Persy, as if the only thing that exists in the world is Persy himself... No, Persy hadn't misheard. Hades had said it clear as day, and now the words are reflected in his dark pupils, in the upturn of his lips, and the pure warmth that emanates from him.

How long has Persy longed to hear those words? How long has he dreamed of this moment?

Nothing but gentle smiles given and love letters locked away in the back of his journal, in the recesses of his mind, waiting for something, some kind of confirmation that he wasn't the only one who felt this way. And now Hades has given it to him unequivocally, like the fresh breeze that blows in with spring after a long winter.

Just as he has always loved Hades… Hades loves him.

In an instant, Persy is beaming back at Hades. He doesn't have to think about what he wants at this moment. One step, two steps, three, four- until he's breaking into a run and throwing himself into Hades's outstretched arms. Like coming home, and home has always been here with Hades. Home is warm arms wrapped so softly around him, keeping him safe and contented, the brilliance of a genuine smile shining down on him like the sun's rays, like Hades is the very reason that Persy is able to grow and bloom. Hades continues to gaze at him with so much affection that Persy almost feels as though he could melt.

"I love you, too, Hades," he whispers breathlessly, clutching at the fabric of Hades's robes over his chest, euphoria completely enveloping him. "I love you, I love you, I love you. I love you so much! With all my heart, all the aether in my soul, and every fiber of my being, I love you."

Hades laughs, the sound like music to Persy's ears, the sweetest sound in all the world. "I know," he replies. "I know, my precious flower."

Persy doesn't think he's ever felt happier in all his life. 

He's not one to pick favorites among his children but… the sunflowers that bloomed on this day, the day that Hades confessed his love for Persy might just hold the most special place in his heart. Golden petals shimmering like the sun, a reminder of this perfect moment, here in his greenhouse, held close in Hades's arms… His wordless love letter finally received.


End file.
